The Waiting Game
by Surflilu246
Summary: Sora & Takeru are tired of waiting for Taichi & Hikari to confess their feelings for them. The two decide to pretend they're dating to try and speed things up. However, things don't go exactly as planned.
1. A Loosely Put Together Plan

**Hey everyone. This is kind of an experimental fic.. something different, I think. Although I have to admit, I'm not sure which direction I want it to go in yet; perhaps some of your feedback would help ^_^. **

**For now, I hope you enjoy it! **

**Thanks to BandGeek99 for beta reading this!**

**X**

Sora Takenouchi watched her friend run down the soccer field, towards the goal. However, she wasn't really watching the game. The main reason she came was to see _him_. _He_ was Taichi Yagami- soccer star and built of muscle. More importantly, though, he was the boy Sora had been crushing on for years and years and years. In the stands, Sora put her elbow on her knee and leaned against her hand. She stared at him from afar, wishing he would notice her affection. From hints from him, and reassurances from everyone else, the girl had concluded her feelings were mutual. However, she had no way of knowing for sure; Taichi had never made an effort to come forth to her, so she really had no idea. She knew one thing for sure, though: She was pretty damn tired of waiting.

"Sora, hey!" The auburn haired girl sat up straight and turned around. Running up the stairs of the bleachers was her friend, Takeru. "What's up?" He called to her.

"Hey!" The girl cheerfully called back, waving to him. He sat down next to her and flashed a friendly smile. "Just watching the game," Sora continued. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Yamato to finish band practice so he can walk home with me. It's quite a lonely walk, you know." The boy shrugged and leaned back. "Are we winning?"

"I'm not sure..." Sora responded, looking back out towards the field. "Honestly, I'm not watching very closely."

"Then why are you here?" Takeru laughed.

Sora searched the field for the reason she came. Taichi was so focused; he probably hadn't noticed her anyways. "Ah, I had nothing better to do." The girl lied. "I was just leaving, actually. Your apartment's near mine, right? I'll walk home with you."

"You sure?" Takeru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm sure," the girl chuckled. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

The two stood up together and walked down the steps. Their feet pounded against the thin metal, making a banging sound with each step they took. As the two turned to walk away from the field, Sora looked back at the game one last time. She caught Taichi looking up to the stands, only to find no one. He looked disappointed for a second, but quickly continued on with the game. Sora felt a pang of guilt, but she was hopeful. Did he care that she left? It didn't matter, really. After all, it was only a game.

"You alright, Sora?" Takeru called from ahead.

"Yeah! Sorry, I'm coming!" Sora turned back and ran to catch up with him.

The two walked in awkward silence for a bit. Takeru constantly had to readjust his hat; the wind was terrible, and Sora, she kept tugging at her skirt and changing the arm she carried her books with.

"You want me to carry those for you?" Takeru simply asked with a slightly bubbly tone.

"Only if you'll use my hairpin to keep that damn hat down," Sora laughed in response.

Takeru looked at the girl with a skeptical look on his face. "Deal," He said, stopping on the sidewalk.

Sora smiled and removed the clip from her hair, allowing her bangs to fall gently in her face. "Come here for a second."

Takeru obeyed and walked over towards her, leaning his head down a bit so the girl would be able to reach his hair. Sora stood on her tiptoes and gently secured the hat. When had he gotten so tall? Once it was certain that the boy wouldn't have to fidget again, Sora stood back and smiled. "There!"

"Thanks Sora," Takeru responded, reaching out for her books.

"You really don't have to..." Sora said politely as the boy took the load from her arms.

Takeru shut his eyes and laughed. "Hey, we made a deal!"

The two walked along together for a bit longer, all the while pointing out odd people and things to talk about. However, the two ran into a certain someone who stopped Takeru in his tracks.

"Hello Sora! Hi Takeru!" A brown haired girl greeted as she passed the two on the street. "I'd stop and chat, but I want to catch the rest of Taichi's game!"

"Oh, that's fine Hikari!" Sora said with a wave. "Nice to see you!"

"Hi…ii… Hikari..." Takeru managed to get out. However, once he'd completed his sentence, the girl was too far away to hear him. Embarrassed, he turned away from Sora and took a step forward, secretly encouraging her to follow him. She did, but she wasn't fooled.

"Looks like someone's got a crush," she laughed, nudging Takeru in the arm.

"I don't want to talk about it." The boy turned bright red.

"Does Taichi know about this?" Sora asked, partly because she was curious now, and partly because she just wanted an excuse to talk about him.

Takeru stopped walking and faced her. "Taichi wouldn't know…"

"Oh..." Sora responded, not really sure what to say.

Takeru turned and walked on. However, the walk quickly turned extremely awkward. Neither of them had any idea what to say to the other. Thankfully, though, Takeru's building was only a bit farther; it could be seen in the distance. The closer it came, though, the more dissatisfied Sora became with Takeru's response. Although it really was none of her business, she wanted to know what was going on between Hikari and Takeru. Was Takeru feeling the same way she felt about Taichi? Surely, if he was, it would do him no good to be left alone.

"Hey, Takeru," Sora began, rather nervously for some reason, "it must be boring, sitting home alone all day. Would you like to come over?"

Takeru raised an eyebrow.

Sora jumped and tried to find something to make her request sound less out-of-the-ordinary. "I mean, until Yamato gets home and all…"

Takeru's steps slowed down a little, but his right eyebrow still remained higher on his face than his other one. He thought for a second; Sora had never invited him over before, but she was such a nice person. Of course she could tell something was wrong, she just didn't want him to be by himself.

"Sure," Takeru responded happily. "That sounds much better than being home."

Sora smiled at him as they both walked past his building toward hers.

A few minutes later the two found themselves outside Sora's door. Quickly, the girl lifted the welcome mat in front of the entrance to get the spare key. She inserted it into the lock and pushed open the door, revealing a modest yet pleasantly decorated house.

"Everything smells like flowers," Takeru commented as Sora ushered him in.

"That would be my mother's doing," Sora stated simply. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, no," Takeru chuckled "It's nice! Where is your mother anyways?"

"Probably at the flower shop down the road."

Sora threw the key onto the counter in the kitchen and opened the fridge. She took out water and a bag of chips for herself. "Do you want anything? I'm quite the cook."

Takeru laughed. "It _would_ be a nice change from my brother's meals. I'll have whatever you're having I suppose."

"You got it!" Sora called. "Make yourself at home, alright? Television's in the other room."

"Okay!" Takeru called back as he set Sora's books down on the ground.

The boy walked past the kitchen towards the living room. The floor was wooden, with rugs under tables to keep them from scratching the ground. The sofas were a nice tan color and had a dark coffee table and end tables surrounding them. In front of the sofas was the television Sora was talking about. He walked over and turned it on. Some news channel came on, but the boy was distracted by a picture that stood next to it. It was a recent photograph of Sora and her mother. They looked like they were on vacation somewhere- probably somewhere tropical. Both of them looked tan, and their hair looked salty and light. Takeru zoned in on his friend; she looked happy. Her smile was wide and her teeth were white as anything. The color of her hair brought out her tan skin and made her ruby eyes sparkle. Small freckles even began to show on her cheeks and shoulders. Takeru smiled at the photograph, the memory he didn't know anything about. For some reason, though, the genuine happiness that radiated from it made him feel warm inside.

"What are you looking at?" Sora asked as she walked towards the sofa, dumplings in hand.

"Oh, nothing! I was just wondering where this picture was taken," Takeru covered up and he seemed to float towards the delicious smelling meal.

Sora smiled, remembering the time the photo was taken. "That was in Okinawa. My mom took me there last summer for vacation."

"You look- er, it looks really beautiful there, I mean." Takeru's cheeks turned slightly red- not enough for anyone to notice, but he could feel his face beginning to heat up.

"Oh, it really was." Sora sat on the sofa next to Takeru and picked up a dumpling herself. "I'd love to go back someday."

"Ah, I'm sure you'll get there…" Takeru said as he took a bite. His voice drifted off.

"What's wrong, Takeru?" Sora asked, putting her own dumpling back down on the coffee table. "And don't tell me nothing, I don't like seeing my friends upset."

Takeru was a bit taken aback by the boldness of her question. Really, he didn't want anyone to know about it, but for some reason, as he looked at the girl who offered him her home and a meal just to make sure he was alright, he felt like he could trust her.

"It's just... it's Hikari," Takeru stuttered while saying her name. "I really... Well..."

"You like her?" Sora finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah..." the boy said slowly, trying to extend the word, as if to remember the first time he'd confessed to anyone that he liked the young Yagami girl. Honestly, he'd pictured himself confessing over and over again, just, the person he was confessing to wasn't Sora. This was so different than how he planned it out, but it felt better to tell someone. Perhaps he should explain more… "I like her, but she doesn't see it. I don't know how I can make her notice. I know there's something there, there has to be. I guess... I guess I'm just tired of waiting."

Sora's eyes opened wide. "Takeru, I completely understand. I won't make you say anymore."

"Ah," the boy responded. "You felt the same at the soccer game today, didn't you?"

"How could you tell?" Sora put her hands on her knees and leaned closer, fully intrigued now.

Takeru let a light smile find its way onto his face. "You reminded me of me."

Sora leaned back on the couch and let her head rest against the back of it. She'd thought correctly, Takeru was in the same exact situation as her. Now, though, at least she'd found someone who understood her.

"Takeru!" the girl exclaimed, bolting to an upright position again.

"What?" Takeru asked, letting a piece of dumpling fall through his teeth. Embarrassed, he picked it up and tossed it back in his mouth.

Sora grinned widely. "I have an idea!"

"What is it?" Takeru asked, chewing slowly on his food.

"We're both tired of waiting, right?" Takeru nodded, and the girl went on. "What if we somehow gave them a little push, made them want to tell us…"

"You mean..." Takeru began. However, he decided not to jump to conclusions. "How?"

"Well," Sora began, looking straight into the boy's eyes. "If you wanted to, what if we faked dating? In my defense, there's no doubt Taichi would be jealous. I know he'd tell me!"

"And Hikari would be shocked and realize..." Takeru's eyes lit up.

"Yes!" Sora shouted as she jumped happily off the couch. "Are you in?"

Takeru swallowed his dumping and thought to himself. Sure, it would be awkward, at least at first- but indeed, he was tired of waiting. Maybe 'going out' with Sora wouldn't be such a bad thing. The only real risk was that Taichi might kill him.

However, once he met the girl's hopeful eyes, he decided to give it a try. "I'll do it" he said, standing up and smiling himself.

"Thank you Takeru!" Sora giggled as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "This could really work!"

"Yeah!" Takeru responded. He was beginning to get excited about their plan. "It really could." Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug. She felt so skinny; so fragile, yet strong. And she smelled _so_ good. It wasn't perfume though, he could tell. It was simply the shampoo, the soap, the flower-filled house. Secretly, he smiled as she rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered again.

**X**

***surflilu.**


	2. Awkward

**So, I'm having a terrible amount of fun writing this fic. I haven't updated in awhile due to summer camp and the start of college, but I re-read the first chapter and decided to pick it up again. So, here goes chapter 2! Enjoy!**

**X**

As planned, Sora and Takeru met outside the school near the water fountain. Sora sat with her legs crossed on the cement and let the fingers on her right hand dip lazily into the water. Her books rested next to her, each of them getting small drops of water on them from the spurting fountain. She was a bit early, but truthfully, she wanted to try and catch Taichi before he wandered into his first class. It always brightened her mornings when the boy would stroll by and smile at her. A few times, she could have sworn she caught him checking her out as she sat in her school uniform, but she was never really sure. However, the few times he did compliment her made her ecstatic. Even the simple 'Hey, you look nice today!', worked wonders.

Takeru approached the schoolyard and began to search for Sora in the distance. As he walked, he scanned the groups of people that stood in front of the building. Eventually, he spotted the girl he was looking for and quickened his pace to reach her. As he got closer to her, his stomach started to feel a bit uneasy. As he walked to school, he had some second thoughts about their plan- and he was sure she did too- but everything was beginning to set in. He just really hoped it would work.

Sora waved once she saw the boy, and it made him feel a little better. His stomach settled, and he waved back.

"Hey!" He said, once he got close enough.

"Hey." The girl replied as she stood.

Neither of them really knew what to say next. One of them was going to have to initiate the first move, but neither of them wanted to do it.

"Well, uh," Takeru began, scratching the back of his head. He had taken the leap, but he was hoping Sora would say what to do first.

The girl stood there and waited for him to finish.

Cleverly, Takeru finished his sentence. "This was your idea, right? So, you have a plan?"

Sora raised an eyebrow at the boy's smart response. She laughed a little bit before biting her lip and shaking her head back and forth.

Takeru sighed. "Well, we're dating."

Sora stood, unresponsive, waiting for the boy's master plan- or, perhaps, so she wouldn't begin laugh at his struggling.

"So, well," the boy stuttered.

Finally, the girl came to his rescue. "Let's not make it awkward," she said, "let's just make those ridiculous Yagamis realize what they're missing out on."

Takeru smiled, and his curving lips pushed his cheeks into two huge dimples. His eyes creased happily as lines of laughter appeared on his forehead and near the corners of his mouth. "May I carry your books?" He joked, leaning over and extending his arm.

"Why certainly!" Sora replied, faking a blush.

The girl handed over her books, and they walked close to each other. Takeru struggled with himself as they neared the front doors. Should he grab her hand? Should he ask? Meanwhile, Sora was trying to figure out what to do herself. They both subconsciously decided that walking together would be a good first step, but it needed to be shocking.

"Quick," Sora whispered as they neared the entrance, "laugh at me like I just said something hilarious."

"A-wha?" Takeru glanced sideways at the girl. "Why?"

"Just do it!" She spoke under her breath as she pushed open the large glass door that let them into the main hallway.

Takeru, completely confused, decided to follow the girl's orders, and plastered a giant smile on his face. "HA. Sora! That's hilarious!"

"Well, you don't have to be ridiculously loud." Sora smirked. She nudged her shoulder against him and laughed as he stepped out to catch himself.

"Hey!" He laughed as he did the same thing to her, only she had to take several steps in order to stop herself from falling over.

The two teens neared Sora's first class. Takeru handed her her books. He didn't know what came over him, but a small bit of sass caused him to tell the girl she wasn't half bad at being a fake girlfriend. Sora rolled her eyes and cheerfully walked inside the room, sitting next to no one in particular. However, she couldn't help but hear her name mentioned in muffled whispers from across the room. She looked over at two girls, whispering and glancing at her. However, once they met each other's stare, the girls quickly became quiet, and pretended to be flipping through books on their desk.

Sora's stomach dropped a bit. She wasn't quite sure what they were saying, but she had a hunch. She hadn't taken into account everyone else who would also be witnessing her and Takeru's fake relationship. However, the girl shrugged off the anxious emotions and patiently waited for class to start.

Meanwhile, in Takeru's class, he was going through the same flutter of emotions. Hikari sat directly in front of him, and he couldn't help but stare. It shouldn't have been so hard to talk to her- after all, they were friends. However, whenever the girl turned around to ask for anything from a pencil to an outing to lunch, the boy froze. His mind became flooded with how badly he wanted her. He wanted to laugh with her and hang out with her. He wanted to put his arms around her slender shoulders and pull her close. He wanted to maybe, just maybe, be able to kiss her and feel her without Taichi punching him in the chest. But most of all, he wanted to make her happy. He loved her delicate smile, he just wanted to be it's source.

His thoughts were interrupted, and his day was quite possibly turned upside down, when the brunette turned around in her chair to ask him what she did so many times. "Takeru, do you want to meet up after school to do some homework?"

The boy froze, but not for the same reason he usually did. After school, he had plans to meet up with Sora and discuss the next step in their plan. However, it seemed as if he'd have to move much quicker than he was hoping to.

"Hey, uh, sorry, I can't Hikari," the boy said, trying his best not to sound perplexed. This was a crucial moment. Was he going to lie, and say he had to meet someone else, or was he going to go with the plan? "I'm actually, I'm hanging out with Sora after school." The boy rushed to finish. He had said it. Oh, yes he had. There was no turning back now, the plot was in motion.

"Oh, okay," Hikari said, a bit of confusion showing through her scrunched eyebrows and interogating eyes, "What are you guys doing?"

'Meeting up to talk about our relationship?' Takeru thought to himself, almost making himself laugh because of how awkward it would make his life. No, he couldn't say that. Not at all. He had to play it cool. He had to raise her suspicions, just a little bit.

"She invited me to BanShe," he cleverly responded, "for some coffee and stuff."

BanShe was the coffee stop down the block from the school. It made sense, really. Many kids went there to hang out and to do work after school let out. Mimi was a frequent visitor.

"Oh, well that sounds fun. Maybe next time then." Hikari said, quickly turning around in her seat. Takeru could tell she was sensing something, he just wasn't sure what, and it scared the living daylights out of him. All he could do was stare at the girl, and he was sure she sensed his eyes on her.

*surflilu.


	3. You Deserve the Best

For the next few days, the two teenagers continued their plan. Each day, they would meet each other outside the school before walking in together. They hadn't held hands yet. For some reason, it would be too obvious, even though their plan _was_ to make the Yagami's jealous. It was too obvious to the point where it would be unbelievable. Had their relationship happened overnight? Well, technically, yes, but the two planned to have others think that they grew closer, and would continue to grow over the next few weeks.

Many details of their plan had been delicately structured at their daily meetings at BanShe. Not only did it give them a perfect place to talk, but it put them in the eyes of everyone else, and just enough to raise a bit of suspicion.

Much to Sora and Takeru's delight, people seemed to take notice of their extensive hanging out together. Whether the Yagami's did or not, they were not sure, but it was only a matter of time. However, what delighted them even more was that no one had directly asked them about their 'relationship'. For some reason, it wouldn't be 'real' if they never had to mention it. This worked, until second period physics.

Sora was sitting at her table. It came up unexpectedly, really. Her nose was stuck into her textbook- she was trying to find an equation for the lab her group was currently working on. All was quiet; everyone was focused. Then suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Are you and Takeru Takaishi dating?"

Sora froze. She kept her eyes on the word she had just finished reading to try and figure out if she had heard correctly. Or, perhaps, if she ignored the girl, she would simply forget she had asked the question. But, unfortunately, no such thing occurred.

"Sora?"

"What?" The brunette replied, pretending she didn't hear the question. Perhaps the girl would become annoyed and quit asking, or maybe Sora would be able to buy herself _some_ time.

The girl sitting across from Sora asked again. "Are you and Takeru dating?"

The bluntness of her partner shocked Sora. She really had no idea how to answer. It seemed to soon to give a definite answer. Saying yes would probably put too much pressure on Takeru and herself, so she decided to deny it.

"No," Sora answered, trying her hardest to lie, "What makes you think that?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, I guess you two have just been hanging out an awful lot, and people are starting to wonder.."

"Oh," Sora replied, "That's strange."

The girl, seeming satisfied with Sora's answer, went back to her work. However, Sora's mind was no longer on physics. People were wondering? Which people? Taichi? She would surely have to talk to Takeru after school.

The rest of the day dragged on. The two usually didn't see each other between many of their classes. Sora went through her last few lectures anxiously, waiting to see if anyone had begun to question Takeru. Eventually, though, the bell rang, and the two teenagers found themselves at their usual table at BanShe.

Sora sipped on a coffee while Takeru chipped off pieces of a cookie and threw them into his mouth. Students filled the café with tables covered in books and computers. The discussion was mainly about school work, professors, and how badly a vacation was needed. However, Takeru and Sora spoke about something much differently, and much quieter.

"Nina asked if we were dating in physics today." Sora said, suddenly.

Takeru stopped chewing. "What did you say?"

"No." Sora responded.

Takeru thought for a moment. "Well, I think you should have said yes."

Sora's eyes widened a bit and she tightened the grip on her coffee mug. "I mean, I'm just not sure if everyone should know already. We want the Yagami's to notice, not the entire school."

Takeru cast his eyes down and traced designs in the pattern of the table. "Well, if they're not noticing by now, maybe they need the whole school to tell them."

Sora lowered her head. "Or maybe, they just don't care-"

However, she was cut off.

"Hey," Takeru said sternly. He reached out and took one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently. "They care. Taichi cares. How could he not?"

Sora looked up and met Takeru's gaze. A slight shiver shot down her back as she felt the warmth of his hand around hers and the intensity of his eyes as he stared.

"Uh.. sorry.." Takeru said, blushing a bit as he took his hand away, realizing what his comment could imply. "I didn't mean to.. well.."

Sora smiled a bit. "Takeru, it's fine. Thank you. Hikari cares too, she has to. You're too kind to ignore."

Takeru blushed a bit more. "You mean it?"

"Of course!" Sora grinned. "And don't be sorry about what you did, maybe it's good practice.."

The boy watched her put her hand back in his. She wasn't looking at him, perhaps she was afraid to. Rather, she stared at their entwined fingers. Takeru squeezed a bit, to let Sora know it was okay. It was nice to have someone there for him, and he was sure she felt the same. Her hand was cool and felt good against his clammy skin. Her skin was soft, too, like silk. However, her grip was strong and reassuring. It was nice.

Takeru swallowed and looked up. "Sora," he began.

The girl looked up and questioningly looked into his eyes, waiting for what he was going to say. "Yeah?"

He smiled a little. The felt his dimples slightly form around his mouth and his eyes squint, creating lines of honest sincerity. "You, uh, you deserve to be happy." He squeezed her hand a little more and nodded.

Sora felt her skin turn a slight shade of pink. She smiled sheepishly and glanced back and their hands. She put her other hand around his and engulfed the warmth of his skin. "You do too."

**Surflilu.**

**-I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. I promise the next one will be out faster. I'm really excited to write it. I have some good plans. So until then, happy reading!  
**


	4. Breakfast for Dinner

**This may have been the most fun chapter I've written yet, in any of my stories. I hope you all enjoy it, but as a warning, the rating goes up a little towards the end of the chapter. **

**X**

Hikari was sitting at the kitchen table when her brother walked through the door.

"I'm home." He called out to no one in particular.

"Hey." Hikari replied quietly, leaning back on her chair so she could see her brother around the corner. "How was soccer?"

Taichi dropped his bags on the floor and kicked his shoes off. "It was alright, a little dead. Only a few people came today."

"I guess with exams coming up, everyone's busy." Hikari sighed. "I really don't know what to do about math."

Taichi walked into the kitchen and looked over his sister's shoulder. He examined the seemingly endless amount of equations and work on the notebook in front of her, and let out a heavy sigh. "You know, I'd help you, but I think I know less about all this than you do. I could call Koushirou for you, if you want."

Hikari smiled lightly and looked back down at her notebook. "No, it's fine. I don't want to bother him. Takeru usually helps me with this, but he's been busy too."

Taichi walked over to the other side of the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a large container of milk. Just before putting it directly to his mouth, he asked, "What's that kid been getting into that makes him so busy?"

"Well," Hikari began, making a disgusted face as she watched her brother gulp down the drink, "I don't know. He's been hanging out with Sora a lot."

Taichi wiped his mouth with his sleeve and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't know." Hikari responded as she put her pencil down on the table, giving up on her homework for a while. She put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair, letting her head hang back. "He said he's been tutoring her in something."

"In what?" Taichi asked, somewhat quickly. He wasn't quite sure why, but he needed to know the answer. Something had suddenly picked his interest in their conversation.

Hikari shot him a confused look, clearly noticing his curiosity. "Uh, I guess math. I mean, Sora's your age, what could she need his help in? Is she bad at anything?" The girl picked up her pencil and stuck the edge of it in her mouth. She too, had gained a curious interest in what Taichi had to say.

"No," Taichi replied as he furrowed his eyebrows, "she's brilliant."

X

"Yeah, Sora!" Takeru called from the stands. He was one of the few people there, and he had promised to be as obnoxious as he could be. He threw a hand in the air and waved excitedly at her.

Sora laughed to herself, but was careful not to let the boy see. She wouldn't let him know that she actually enjoyed his "undying support", as he called it. More importantly, though, she had to stay focused. She was losing her match. Her opponent had managed to score the last two rounds, much to Sora's dismay. But, she had no time to think about it, the next ball was being served. With a crack of the racquet hitting the ball, the green piece of rubber came flying over the net and bounced a few meters in front of Sora. She sidestepped to the left, raised her arm, and smacked it back. However, her opponent ran towards the net and hit it before it had a chance to bounce, sending the ball raging towards the other side of the court faster than Sora had expected. Without thought, Sora dove to the left, held her racquet out, and managed to get it just enough under the ball. With a light push, she flipped it back over the net, sending it just far enough to give her time to get up and get back into position. However, the other girl clearly wasn't expecting Sora to be able to get her attack, and could not move quickly enough to get the short ball Sora had sent over.

"GO SORA GO!" cried a voice, almost instantaneously, from the bleachers.

Once again, Sora worked hard to suppress her laughter, but she could still feel her skin turning a light shade of pink. The ball was rolled back over to Sora's side of the court, she picked it up, and served it.

From his seat, Takeru watched the girl run back and fourth on the clay court. She was really good. He watched as she raised one toned, tan arm into the air and slammed the ball across the court. He watched as her legs carried her from one side of the court to another. He watched as she aggressively, yet gracefully, laid out to stop the ball from bouncing more than once. Her entire body was built to play the sport.

Takeru was a bit distracted, but when Sora scored the final point, he was dragged back into consciousness.

"Yeah Sora!" He called as he jumped up out of his seat, throwing his hands in the air.

He watched the two girls go and shake hands, and he watched Sora begin to pack her things in her bag. Takeru jumped down off of his 2nd row bleacher seat and walked over to the fence that surrounded the tennis court. He tangled his fingers between the wires and pressed his forehead against it, leaving light lines in his skin. Sora took off both of her tennis shoes and zipped them in her bag, replacing them with soft sandals. After throwing the heavy bag over her shoulder, she began to walk towards the entrance of the field, and towards Takeru. He froze.

It was a bit cliché, but the sun was setting behind the girl, and it outlined her slender figure with a slim glow of gold. Her already tanned skin was darker, and her white uniform elongated her legs. Her red-brown hair was messy and falling out of her ponytail, but it framed her face perfectly.

"Takeru?"

Takeru shook his head slightly and looked back at the girl, who was now almost at the entrance.

"Uh.. yeah?"

Sora gave him an odd glance before pushing the gate open and stepping onto the cool dirt. "I asked what your plans were for later."

"Oh! Yeah, uh," Takeru blushed as he struggled to remember if he had any plans, "I don't really have any, did you have something in mind?"

"Dinner?" Sora asked, rubbing her stomach, "I'm starving."

"Dinner sounds fantastic." Takeru smiled, looking down at his own stomach. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. He actually got excited at the thought of spending a meal with the girl. It would be at least an hour of conversation, and he wanted to learn more about her. However, his stomach dropped when he remembered he had no money on him. "It's just, uh, I don't have my wallet on me."

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed, "Don't worry about that, I could totally cover for you." She was running out of money herself, but for some reason, she got a bit worried at the thought of _not_ hanging out with him.

Takeru scrunched his nose and laughed. "Nah, I wouldn't want you to do that."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Well, then what else would you want to do?"

Takeru thought for a moment. It made him happy that she didn't easily give up on their possible plans. "Well, I am quite the cook."

"Are you better than your brother?" Sora giggled.

Takeru raised an eyebrow at her, as if he was appalled that she had actually compared his cooking to Yamato's. "You think I actually call my brother's experiments 'cooking'?"

With that, Sora burst out laughing, and they both started off in the direction of Takeru's apartment. The sun was now almost under the horizon, and the streetlights began to come on. Stores were shutting down, but restaurants were being filled with people ready for a meal. Takeru and Sora made small talk- about tennis, about school, about the people who began to question their relationship- and they enjoyed each other's company.

"You know," Takeru began, looking down at the girl walking next to him.

"What?"

He smiled. "This has to be the best fake relationship."

Sora chuckled and nudged him in the side. "Well, I'm glad you don't think I'm awful to be around. I told you this would work!"

He nudged her back, "Hey, I never doubted you!"

To this, Sora let out a disbelieving sigh.

"Whatever." Takeru said jokingly. "I take that back then, you're pretty awful, and your feet smell like tennis shoes. I can't wait for you to get away from me."

"Oh you don't mean that." Sora rolled her eyes once again.

Takeru tried to keep a straight face while looking at her, but he could only hold it for a few seconds. He burst out laughing after Sora pretended to look mad herself. "You're right, you're right. I don't mean any of that, well, except for your feet smelling like tennis shoes."

"What do you expect!" Sora exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "I just worked my butt off."

"Don't worry," Takeru replied, "It's not that bad. If you want, you can take a shower at my place while I make us some food."

For the first time, Sora realized how sticky her skin felt. The sweat she had worked up during her match was now settling. "That'd actually be pretty nice.."

After a few more minutes, Takeru unlocked the door and let them both into his apartment. His mother was away for a few days, leaving the house empty, and a bit messy. She was working on a story in Kyoto for work.

"The bathroom is in there." Takeru said as he walked down the hall. He pointed to a dark room off to the right.

Sora trailed along a few feet behind him, dropping her bag next to the bathroom door. "Thanks." She said as she walked in, "Just give me a few minutes."

"No problem," Takeru responded as he pushed open his bedroom door.

His room was quite clean, compared to the rest of the house. He liked to keep his own things orderly. A twin-sized bed was pushed up against the far wall, and a dresser stood next to the door. The room wasn't incredibly large, but it was enough. Takeru took off his shirt. It felt worn from the day. He sighed and tossed it on his bed and walked over towards his closet to find something else to wear. There weren't many clothes left; he didn't know how to do laundry.

"Hey, Takeru?" A voice called from down the hall.

The boy stopped rummaging and called back. "Yeah?"

"Sorry, but uh, how do you work your faucet?"

Takeru laughed. He got that question quite often from visitors. He should have expected it. He left his room and walked back down the hall towards the bathroom. The door was nearly shut, so he knocked first. "Is it alright to come in?"

"Er, yeah." Was the response.

The boy pushed open the door and felt the bright fluorescent lights hit his face. The rest of his house was darker, so his eyes had to adjust. He took a few steps forward, but nearly came to a stop. Sora was standing next to the shower, still fidgeting with the faucet, wrapped in one of his green towels. Once she heard him come in, she turned around and faced him.

"So sorry," she said, "but I can't make the water hot."

Takeru had to fight to keep his eyes from opening wide. "Uh, it's uh, really, it's fine, no problem. Lots of people, they uh, they have issues with faucets. My faucets. The faucets in this house."

Whether Takeru's awkwardness went straight over Sora's head or she chose to ignore it, he did not know, but Sora simply backed up to clear Takeru a path to the shower. The boy decided to beat himself up over it later. He could only see her out of his peripheral vision, but it was enough.

The green towel just barely covered the tops of her thighs, and it wrapped neatly under her arms and around her back. Her shoulder blades were so well formed, and her back was smooth and muscular. However, what really stood out was her skin. It was so perfect, and there was so much of it. Her neck and shoulders looked creamy and slim, and her legs went on forever.

Sora, too, seemed to notice Takeru's lack of a shirt. She looked off to the door, as if trying to avoid looking at him. His shoulders were wide, and he had some abs, if he flexed. He wasn't nearly as built or as tan as Taichi, he knew, but he was tall, and he had enough muscle.

"Uh, here." Takeru said after a few seconds of messing with the faucets. "It should be fine now."

As if supporting Takeru's claim, steam started to come out from the showerhead as the water fell down.

"Thanks," Sora smiled. Her cheeks became slightly rosy. 'I can't stand cold showers."

"No problem, really," Takeru smiled back, letting a small nervous laugh escape from his lips. It might have been too quiet for the girl to hear, but he couldn't tell.

With that, he left the room, and shut the door behind him. Finally, he let his eyes burst open, and his breath begin to quicken. As much as he tried, he could not get the image of Sora out of his head. Quickly, however, he collected himself and walked back towards the bedroom. He found a white v-neck to put on, and began working in the kitchen. However, to his dismay, he found the fridge near empty.

"Well," Takeru muttered to himself as he pulled out some eggs, "no one ever minds breakfast for dinner."

The boy noisily pulled out some pots and pans and began cooking. All-the-while, he thought of Sora, their fake relationship, Hikari, and Taichi. He could tell, each day, Hikari became more and more aware of how much Sora and Takeru were hanging out together. He made sure to make it known every day in class that he would be studying with Sora after school. He knew Hikari was taking notice, and he knew she was becoming a bit uneasy about it. Was it true that she had taken him for granted? It hurt him a little to think so. However, he was scared about how worried he was that Hikari would put all the pieces together. He couldn't understand why he was so afraid of her finding out. He wasn't afraid of her rejection anymore, no, he had had enough of that. He was almost used to it. It wasn't that. He couldn't put his finger on it.

"Dinner's ready!" Takeru called once he heard the shower water shut off. He got some sort of muffled response, but then remembered something. "Do you have anything to wear besides your tennis uniform?"

The girl's voice could just barely be heard through the shut door. She was clearly yelling, though. "Er, my school uniform, but it's a bit worn."

"I'll get you something!" Takeru called back as he placed two plates filled with eggs on the table. Quickly, he went to his room. From his drawers, he found a comfortable pair of gray sweatpants, and from his closet, he grabbed another white cotton t-shirt. He walked with them to the bathroom and knocked lightly on the door.

"Here." He said kindly as the door was cracked open.

"Thanks!" Sora said quickly, taking them from his hand and pulling them through the small opening.

Takeru decided watching some television would be nice, so he picked up both plates from the table and put them on the coffee table in front of a large, comfy sofa. Crashing down into the cushions, he put his feet up, and took a big bite of the food. He felt a bit bad for not waiting for Sora, but he was starving. His plate was nearly half empty by the time the girl emerged from the bathroom. Takeru looked up at her and smiled. She looked quite cute in his clothes. They were much too big for her, but at least she looked incredibly comfortable.

"Breakfast for dinner?" She asked as she plopped down on the couch next to him.

"There's nothing better!" Takeru said, flashing her a grin. "Take a bite, you'll love it."

Sora lifted her fork and filled it to the brim with eggs. Excitedly, she stuffed it in her mouth and chewed. A quiet 'mmm' could be heard, and Takeru was satisfied.

"Told you I was better than Yamato."

The two quickly devoured their dinners and reclined on the couch. Takeru gripped the remote in one hand and elevated his head with the other. Sora had her feet perched on the edge of the coffee table, and she was stretching her calves by bending her feet back and forth. There was nothing new to really talk about. They had already discussed all the updates about their 'relationship'. Finally, though, Sora broke the ice.

"So, uh, what do you think is going to happen at the end of this?"

Takeru sat up straighter and looked at her. "What do you mean at the end?"

"Well," Sora continued, pushing a strand of hair away from her face, "Once Taichi and Hikari figure out what they're going to do. Once they either decide they miss us or decide they don't."

Takeru scrunched his eyebrows and thought for a moment. "You know," he began, "I don't like how we're letting Taichi and Hikari dictate everything we do."

The boy paused and looked at Sora. She stared back at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.

He found a spot to stare at on the coffee table, so he could focus more on what he was saying. "I, er, I don't know. We're waiting here for them to come get us. It's like we're desperate. And, I don't know, I'd say we should be more proactive, but honestly, hanging out with you has taken my mind off of Hikari. I don't feel so rejected and alone anymore. I feel like someone doesn't take me for granted. I don't know. I feel like I matter."

Sora's mouth dropped a bit at the boy's genuine words. "Takeru…" She put a strong hand on his shoulder, causing him to meet her gaze. "Please don't ever feel alone, really. I know how you feel. I used to feel that way too. I always felt like Taichi took me for granted and never cared as much as I cared about him. But I feel the same.. since I've gotten to know you I feel like I matter to someone, and I promise you, you matter to me."

Takeru smiled and blushed. Sora had always been like an older sister to him; some kind of protector. Normally, that would have been how he took her kind words. However, it felt different now. He was grown, and they felt equal.

The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Takeru broke their gaze. "Thanks." He said, letting his eyes drop to the coffee table again.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, letting her hand fall from his shoulder into his grip. She rubbed her thumb against his palm and looked worriedly at him.

He furrowed his brows and shook his head lightly. "Nothing, it's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not," Sora smiled, "I promise I won't laugh or anything."

"Well, okay, as long as you promise." Takeru suddenly decided to simply lunge forward and say it, without thinking it through. "It's just, about not pursuing anything. I don't know. I've… I've never been kissed, and it's just, I don't know, I feel like I let myself down. I feel like I've missed out on so many experiences because I've been too nervous to move forward. I've always shied away…"

Sora bit her lip and looked down at their entwined hands. He deserved so much, she knew it. "You've never experienced a kiss?" She asked quietly, not willing to look into his eyes.

"Never." Was the only response she got. It was heavy and filled with regret. Sora felt it enter her ears and weigh down her chest.

"Well," she began, her voice a bit shaky, as she was quite aware about what she was about to imply, "It's time to change that. Don't shy away anymore. You deserve what you want, so you should go after it."

Takeru looked up at her, and the girl could read fear all over his eyes. "You… you really mean that?"

"Yes." Sora said, biting her lip again.

Suddenly, and possibly without thinking, Takeru leaned in. He moved both his legs under him and moved forward, until he was inches from Sora's face. The girl didn't move or stutter. She merely looked into his eyes, as if she was trying to read them, trying to figure out what he was going to do next. He could feel her warm, short breaths against his lips, and he could tell she was scared.

"Takeru.." she whispered just audibly enough so someone centimeters away from her could hear.

Instead of responding, though, Takeru pressed his lips against hers. He did it lightly, yet passionately. He felt Sora's hand squeeze around his, so he continued. Was this right? Was he supposed to do this? Maybe, maybe not, but he couldn't think about that now. All he knew was that he wanted to do this, and he couldn't let another opportunity pass him by.

Sora kept her eyes open for a few seconds, as if she was trying to process what was happening. However, she quickly decided not to care about what the consequences of this were. She closed her eyes and began to kiss him back. He was quite good, for never having kissed anyone before, and she let herself become surrounded by the boy's warmth and smell. She could feel Takeru smiling as he kissed her, and she smiled back. For a moment, they both opened their eyes and met each other's grinning gaze, but then quickly closed them again.

Takeru leaned forward more, pushing Sora back onto the couch. She put her legs up on the sofa so she was laying flat out, and she felt Takeru wrap his arms under her back. His palms felt warm against the cotton shirt. She could barely feel his touch, but she knew she wanted more of it. Sora began to kiss him harder, and stuck her tongue just barely into the boy's mouth. Takeru responded by doing the same, and by tangling the fingers of one of his hands in Sora's soft hair. The girl put her hand's up on Takeru's muscular chest and traced down, until she reached the hem of his shirt. Gently, at first, she pulled it up. Once Takeru raised his hands above his head to signal he wanted it off, Sora tore it away and tossed it aside. His skin was soft, yet rugged. It sat perfectly atop the muscles of his chest and begged to be touched. As Sora explored his torso, Takeru kissed down her chin and onto her neck, causing the girl to quietly moan. He moved his hands across her firm stomach, and after Sora began to moan a bit more, decided it was alright to go further. He slipped one hand under her shirt and first felt the skin there before deciding to take her shirt off entirely.

He struggled to get the cotton tee over her head, but eventually managed. Sora smiled at him as she watched his eyes explore her body. Takeru wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Sora took one of his shaking hands and placed it on her chest, inviting him to explore. Takeru let out a slight gasp as he leaned down to resume kissing her again. He had never in his life imagined touching Sora this way. It was as if it was some incredible reward, something out of his wildest, unrecognized dreams. Takeru ran his hands everywhere as Sora's hands found their way to the zipper of his jeans.

Takeru suddenly stopped kissing and looked down at her. His hand still roamed her body, but he needed to see. The girl was wearing a plain white bra. It was simple, but it suited her. Her stomach was fit, clearly from tennis, and the rest of her torso was perfectly formed. She looked amazing underneath him.

Takeru let her unzip his jeans, leaving him in only boxers. Sora went to take off her own, but Takeru stopped her. Before she could unzip herself, Takeru had started fidgeting with her pants. After a few moments, they were off, and both teens were entwined in their undergarments. Takeru moved his hands to Sora's legs and felt their longness. They wrapped themselves around Takeru' back and pulled him closer to her, so they could kiss once again. Their tongues explored each other, along with their hands, and they were so into the moment, that they almost didn't hear the doorknob jiggling.

Sora suddenly pulled away, as Takeru jerked his head up to listen to the noise. His stomach dropped, and a small panic went through him.

"Is… is that your mother?" Sora asked, a bit frantically.

"No.." Takeru said, so frozen he couldn't move. "She wouldn't come back."

He thought to himself, who could it be? Was it a neighbor? Should they hide? Who had a key?

Suddenly, it hit him, as he jumped up off of the girl.

"Shit! Quick, grab your clothes and go hide!"

Sora's eyes widened once she saw Takeru's worry. "What? Who is it?"

Takeru stopped for only a second from picking up his clothes off the ground. He now heard the door begin to creek open.

"Yamato!"

X

Surflilu.


	5. In Too Deep

"Takeru?" Yamato asked as he stepped inside the doorway. There was clearly a ruckus inside, and he wanted to know what it was. As he shut the door behind him, he heard another door slam. "Hello?"

"Ah, Yamato, Hi!" Takeru said, out of breath. He didn't know what else to say. He stood amongst a pile of his own clothes in the living room, and none of them were on him. Both the clothes he and Sora had worn were thrown about the floor, and all that Takeru had on was his boxers.

"Erm.." Was all Yamato could get out as he threw his bag on the kitchen table. "Who shut a door?"

Takeru smiled largely and idiotically. "What? A door?"

Yamato raised an eyebrow as he walked toward his brother. "Yeah.. I heard a door slam when I walked in.."

"Oh!" Takeru exclaimed. "Oh! That door! My bedroom door, I was, I was in my bedroom, but I heard you, so I came out and I shut it."

The boy kept his giant smile on his face, but on the inside, he wanted to punch himself. He would really have to practice his speaking skills in awkward situations.

"Okay, whatever." Yamato replied, his curiosity clearly diminishing. Besides, his first guess wouldn't be that Takeru was hiding a naked girl in his bedroom. Besides, from his brother's lack of clothes, the television on, and the way Takeru was holding a clump of clothes awkwardly in front of his boxers, he didn't really want to know.

"Have you made any dinner yet?" The elder brother asked.

"Er.. yeah," Takeru began as he finished collecting the clothes off the floor. He slid himself into a shirt and the sweatpants Sora had been wearing. They smelled like her, and it was driving him mad. "I just made myself some eggs. We're out though. So if you want food you should probably leave the apartment and go buy some."

"Trying to kick me out?" Yamato joked. He opened the fridge, and seeing as his brother wasn't lying, he shut it. "Oh, well maybe I should go out and pick something up, seeing as we'll starve here."

For a moment, Takeru's stomach fluttered. His prayers were answered, and his plan had worked. If Yamato went back out it would give him just enough time to get Sora home. However, Takeru's joy soon faded.

"Did you have someone over?" Yamato asked.

"Uh…" Was all Takeru could get out. He began to panic when he saw what his brother was looking at. Two plates sat in the sink, with two sets of chop-sticks.

Yamato walked towards him again. "Alright, Takeru. The joke's up. Why are you acting so odd?"

Takeru felt himself shaking in his skin. He really had no idea how his brother would react if he found out the truth, considering he was Taichi's best friend, as well as Sora's. In that moment, he could have thrown himself out the window and been less scared. The result probably would be better than whatever Yamato would do to him, too. Or, if he could go back in time, he could simply stop the past hour or so from ever happening. Suddenly, the awkwardness of the situation hit him. Everything he and Sora had done came flooding back into his mind. He didn't know how to react to it, but the surge of memory stopped him from responding to his brother. All he could think about was Sora's skin against his, and the way he had kissed her, and the _places_ he had kissed her. Dear lord, what had he done?

"Takeru? I mean, I don't care if you like… had a girl here, I'm not stupid, but come on, don't lie to me. I can go outside for a few minutes."

The second opportunity sucked Takeru back into reality.

"Uh.. yeah… that, uh, that would probably be best.." The younger brother responded, being careful to sound calm.

"Dear god!" Yamato exclaimed jokingly as he turned around and began walking down the hall. "My little brother, getting girls! You'd better at least tell me who the chick is later."

Takeru laughed nervously as he watched his brother go. He wished he would just hurry up. His heart was pounding hard; he could practically feel it pushing against his ribcage. But suddenly, Yamato stopped.

"No.." Was the only word the boy could hear his older brother say.

Yamato looked from the ground to Takeru, to make sure his brother had seen what he just had. Takeru looked to where Yamato had been looking, and his eyes opened wide. He felt a small seizure-like panic run down his spine and out of his body through the tips of his toes. On the floor sat Sora's tennis bag, and on top of it sat Sora's white uniform.

For a moment, Yamato simply stared at his brother over his shoulder. His blue eyes were opened wide, in shock. Then, the older boy spun on his heels and walked speedily towards his brother's bedroom. "Takeru, you didn't!"

But suddenly, something else came to Takeru's mind other than the fear of Yamato finding Sora. He would find a naked Sora, and for some reason, he didn't want his brother to see Sora as he had. Also, of course, he wanted to spare Sora the awkwardness of being found naked.

"Yamato, don't! Stop!" he called, but it was too late. Yamato pushed open Takeru's door. To both boys' surprise, though, the room was empty.

"Takeru!" Yamato exclaimed, slightly frustrated. "What the hell is going on?"

The boy was unable to respond. He had no idea where Sora went, but he was sure Yamato was going to find out. The elder brother walked into the room and looked around, setting his sights on the closet.

"Yamato, I'm telling you, don't do it!" Takeru yelled, dashing forward towards his brother in a desperate attempt to stop him. However, Yamato was much too close to the closet, and Takeru only made it to the entrance of the bedroom when Yamato had his hand on the doorknob. In one quick motion, he turned the knob and pulled the door open.

"Ah!" Takeru heard a surprised gasp come from inside the closet. His brother also let out quite a shocked noise. Yamato threw his hands in front of his eyes and quickly turned away.

"I told you not to open it!" Takeru called, scared out of his wits. His breathing was heavy, and he leaned up against the wall, clearly defeated in his efforts of hiding the girl.

"It's…it's not what it looks like!" Sora struggled to say as she grabbed a shirt off of a hanger to cover the upper-half of her body with. She was nervous, more for Takeru than herself, but this had clearly gone too far. Yamato had caught them, there was no doubt about it, but they never wanted to put themselves in a position to be _caught _in the first place. Their relationship was fake. Fake. How had this happened?

"Well how many things can this look like?" Yamato asked, thoughts clearly running circles around his head. His cheeks were bright red from the partial view he got of Sora. The boy opened his eyes, but quickly covered them again once he saw that Sora still didn't have any pants on. Takeru, coming to the rescue, walked quickly over to his dresser to grab another pair of sweatpants. He tossed them to her, and she quickly scrambled into them. Yamato finally opened his eyes, and he looked at her. Her hair was extremely messed up, and her skin was deep red, partly because had just had a bit of a workout, and partly because she was embarrassed out of her mind.

"I… I should go." Sora stated, rather factually.

Takeru bit his lip, and Yamato looked up towards the ceiling, trying to process everything. As fast as she could, Sora made her way out of the closet, and past the two brothers. She couldn't look Takeru in the eyes as she left. However, she heard him let out a small sigh. She didn't know whether it was from regret, embarrassment, or a combination of the two, but it made Sora feel awful. As fast as she could without running, she gathered all of her things, and walked out the front door, closing it gently behind her.

Yamato and Takeru still stood silently in the room. The silence was killing both of them, and they knew it. Neither of them knew how to feel. Takeru didn't know whether to feel happy about his experience, or extremely regretful. He knew Sora probably felt awful about everything that happened, so he decided to feel regretful, and a bit ashamed. Should he have kissed her? He felt like it was his fault.

Yamato, on the other hand, could have argued that he was more confused than anyone. Sure, people at school had been asking if Sora and his brother were dating, but he never believed it for a second. He never even thought to ask his brother about it. Yet, suddenly, Sora and Takeru were naked together in his mother's house, doing, well, he didn't want to know. Or, maybe he did, just for his sanity.

"Did… did you guys… did you guys do.. it?" he stuttered.

Takeru looked at him, his skin bright red. "No!" He said, rather abruptly, and he wasn't sure if his brother believed him.

Yamato thought for a moment, trying to process how any of this had happened. Since when had his brother and Sora even had feelings for each other? Suddenly, it hit him. It was Sora. The random chick was Sora, his friend, one of his best friends. It was his best friends, who he thought would end up with his other best friend. His friend… and his little brother?"

"…Sora?" Yamato asked, all of the questions he had coming out in one word.

Takeru didn't even know whether to shake his head or not. Would Yamato believe him if he tried to tell him the real story? Should he still try to deny that anything happened? He was good at coming up with a lie when he needed to, but he wasn't sure whether he could get it past someone who knew him so well. Or, should he pretend what Sora and he had was real? It would certainly play into their plot. The boy really had no idea though, especially because he was losing the meaning of the word 'real'. Their relationship was fake, he knew, but what had just happened seemed incredibly real to him. Was it? He would feel so much better about talking to Yamato if he could talk to Sora first. He just needed to know what she wanted, and he would do it. He would make their relationship _this_ real if it made her happy.

"I, uh, I don't want to talk about it." Was all Takeru could respond with, and he hoped Yamato would accept his answer. After all, there was nowhere he could go to get away from him and his questioning. He was already in his home. He needed to talk to Sora first, too. He didn't want to push this further in any direction before he heard what she had to say. That is, if she still wanted to talk to him.

Yamato fidgeted, and put his balance on one of his heels. "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Takeru."

The younger boy froze. "What do you mean?"

Yamato widened his eyes at him. "You know if Taichi ever finds out about this, he'll go mad, right?"

Takeru shook his head a bit. "Taichi? Really? Yamato, Sora doesn't believe Taichi feels anything for her, and personally, she has no reason to believe that he does anyways."

Taken back a bit, Yamato straightened his posture and retaliated. "I'm only telling you this for your own good. Of course he has feelings for her, it's obvious, isn't it?" The boy put a hand on his forehead and began talking to himself more than his brother. "He'll loose it if he finds out someone else did anything with her, especially someone younger, especially my little brother."

"Yamato, stop!" Takeru said, a little louder than he should have. By this point, he had forgotten the option of telling Yamato the entire situation. He was annoyed. "Taichi didn't, and still doesn't give her half the attention she deserves. If he really cared about her, he would go after her, and she's been waiting and waiting, and nothing's happened! She deserves the best, and if Taichi doesn't realize that, he's missed his chance!"

The older boy didn't say anything at first. When had his brother grown such feelings for the girl?

When the silence didn't seem to want to end, Takeru broke it. The thought of Taichi finding out anything real had happened scared him a little. "I mean, how is he going to find out? You're the only one who knows."

Yamato tightened the grip of his hand on his forehead. "Takeru, that's asking a lot of me."

Panic felt like it was gripping Takeru's throat once again. He looked painfully at his brother. "You.. you would tell?"

"Takeru he's my best friend!" Yamato exclaimed. "I get it, you're my brother. I can't do that to you. But I can't let my best friend get hurt either. You know how much I value my friendships."

"I know.." Takeru stated quietly, refusing to meet his brother's gaze. Would what he did really hurt Taichi? Takeru wouldn't be able to live with himself if Taichi got seriously hurt, if he felt the way Takeru did when he spoke to Hikari sometimes…

Yamato let his head fall. "I.. I don't know what to do."

Takeru straightened up and faced his brother. "It's not your problem. I'll fix it, don't worry."

Yamato gave his brother a slight smile. He felt so bad for coming off so harshly. Perhaps he could make light of it, at least a little. "So," he began, "was it at least good?"

Takeru opened his eyes in shock, but let a small grin appear on his face.

Yamato laughed. "That is all the answer I need."

X

Sora walked through the halls quite self-consciously the next day. In all honesty, she had no idea if anyone else had found out about her and Takeru's adventure the day before. She doubted Yamato would tell anyone, but she still wasn't sure. The fact that she hadn't seen Takeru at all yet worried her even more. Would they still have their daily meeting? Would he still want to talk to her? Sora knew everything wasn't her fault. After all, Takeru had been the one to kiss her, but she knew she played a huge part in pushing things farther than they should have gone. The girl sighed. She could still smell the scent of Takeru's clothes a little on her skin. She still had his sweatpants and shirt in her bedroom at home, so she supposed she would have to speak to him eventually. She was looking forward to the moment and dreading it at the same time.

There were only a few minutes left before the bell for homeroom rang, so the girl hustled to her locker to grab some books she would need for her first period. As she got closer, she could make out a figure standing next to her locker. At first, she wondered if it was Takeru, but as she got closer, and could make out the giant puff of brown hair, she realized it was not. Still, she was slightly surprised at who it was.

"Taichi?" She asked, once she was close enough to him for him to hear her. She felt embarrassed at first, because _she_ knew what had happened yesterday. However, the welcoming look he gave her clamed her down.

"Hey!" He perked up and looked in her direction. He smiled slightly as she got closer. He tried to suppress it, but he couldn't. "How are you?"

Sora began to put in her locker combination as she responded. "I'm doing pretty good, how about you? How's soccer?"

"It's good," he said, still leaning against the locker next to the girl's. "But uh, that's not really what I want to talk to you about."

Sora's hand stopped turning the lock and she stood up straight, so she could look up into the boy's deep chocolate eyes with her full curiosity. "Oh, uh, what is it?" She felt butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach, but at the same time, she felt a bit anxious about what he was going to say. With all that had happened yesterday, this could go either really well or really badly. But, it wasn't just that that worried her. She couldn't figure out what else did.

The boy scratched the back of his head nervously and blushed slightly. It wasn't enough for Sora to notice, but to him, his skin felt burning hot. "It's just, well, I haven't been doing too well in math, and.."

"And you'd like me to tutor you?" Sora interrupted, slightly disappointed.

Taichi bit his lower lip. "Well, uh, yeah." He hesitated before going on, as if he was trying to decide whether he should continue or not. "I.. I uh, I heard Takeru has been helping you, and you know, he's really good at math, so if you could teach me some of his tricks…"

Sora's stomach twisted, and her back became rigid. "His uh, his tricks?"

Taichi looked down the hallway, away from Sora. "Yeah, just uh, I mean, just pass along the knowledge."

Sora was kind of glad he wasn't looking at her, or else he may have asked why she looked so sketched. Had he implied something by tricks? Had Yamato talked to him? Or had he simply figured out that something was going on? Whatever it was, it made Sora nervous, but she knew hanging out with Taichi would get him to open up more about it. Either he knew _something_, or he just needed her friendly help. In all honesty, she wouldn't be surprised if that was what it ended up being, but she wouldn't mind finding out. "Well, I'm free after dinner tonight, if you want to meet up."

"Sure!" Taichi said, a bit excitedly. "Does my place work?"

"Sure." Sora responded, flashing him a slight smile.

"Thanks!" Taichi exclaimed, throwing his arms around the girl. He drew her into one of his big bear hugs that he was famous for, and that Sora was all too used to. The girl smelled the slight cologne that was sprayed on his shirt, and breathed it in. It was familiar, and his arms felt like home. She let herself become absorbed in him, and for a moment, it made her happy.

"It's no problem." Sora replied as the boy released her. She turned back to her locker and pulled it open, grabbing a number of books, and shaking off the feelings she just felt.

"Well, I've got to run." Taichi said. "I've got math now, actually, but I'll see you later on!"

"Mhmm!" Sora said through her closed lips as the boy walked away. She smiled as she watched him go. His hug had cheered her up a bit, but it reaffirmed her suspicion that he only wanted her help. He needed her, so he wanted her. It was always the same. However, as she watched the boy walk away, with his backpack hung sloppily over one shoulder and his un-ironed school jacket messily buttoned, she couldn't help but smirk. As she heard the warning bell go off, though, she turned the other way and began walking towards her own class. However, she stopped once she saw a blonde boy, Takeru staring at her from the other side of the hall. She began to wave to him, but quickly stopped once she remembered the awkwardness of the day before. Takeru didn't wave back. He looked at her, then to Taichi walking down the hall. Suddenly, Sora became scared.

"Takeru, he just asked me to stu-," she began.

But, before she could finish, Takeru flashed her a hurt look, and walked away.

*surflilu


	6. Teach me his Tricks

**Sorry for the mix-up before to whoever read the wrong chapter. I uploaded two new chapters today and the chapter from my other story accidentally got uploaded here. Anyways, here's the right chapter! Enjoy!**

For the rest of the day, Sora couldn't concentrate. In physics, she bit nervously on her pencil's eraser as she waited for the period to end. She couldn't wait for the day to finish; waiting in class was one of the worst ways to deal with anxiety. No matter what she did, she couldn't erase Takeru's hurt look from her mind. Over and over again, she wondered what the boy thought when he stumbled upon her hugging Taichi, smiling like a fool. Truly, she felt awful. She knew she didn't really do anything to hurt him, but still, she couldn't wait to find him to explain to him what really happened.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Sora dashed out of her class. She went to the fountain where she normally met Takeru before heading to BanShe, but he wasn't there. She thought it would be best to wait for a bit, so she hung around. She curled her fingers around the fabric of her skirt and kicked her heel against the cool cement. Some of her friends walked by, Taichi included, and they waved as they each headed home. However, when Yamato came by, he stopped to talk to her.

As Sora saw the tall blonde approach, her heart beat faster. Would he yell at her for doing things with his younger brother? He was always protective of him. Would he laugh about it? Would he still be shocked? Sora braced herself for whatever was about to come her way.

Yamato leaned up against the fountain next to her, dropping his bag on the ground. He put his elbows against the flat cement and let his head hang back. "Hey." He said, simply.

"Hey." Sora replied, still fidgeting with her skirt.

"What's going on?" Yamato asked, still not looking at her.

"Er.. not much. I guess." Sora replied, her voice a bit shaky.

Yamato quickly picked up on Sora's nerves and decided to make it less awkward. Of course he was going to ask her about what was going on between her and Takeru, so he might as well spare her the awkward light conversation and get right to it.

"Are you waiting for Takeru?" He asked, now turning his head to face her. She looked at him, and his eyes weren't cold. They were as they always were, deep blue but warm. They were slit a little though, as if he already knew the answer, and was waiting to see whether Sora would lie.

Sora bit her lip and nodded. She let her fingers fall away from her skirt and she put them on the fountain behind her so she could lean back more.

Yamato kept his eyes on her. "He's already headed home. Want me to tell him to come back?"

The girl's stomach dropped a little. He'd left early just so she wouldn't have time to see him. She felt hurt and guilty at the same time. Perhaps she'd put herself too deep into this. Maybe they shouldn't have started their pretend relationship in the first place. All it had seemed to do was hurt and confuse people. Sora faced Yamato once again and responded. "No, it's fine. I'll just head home too." Her voice was quiet, and still shaky, and Yamato was now a bit concerned.

"Do you want me to walk with you?" He asked. "You could talk to me about what's going on, too. I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit confused, and Takeru won't tell me anything."

"Well," Sora replied, "I suppose it'd be nice."

The two left the school yard and began walking in the direction of Sora's apartment. It took nearly the whole walk, but Sora explained the story to him. She supposed since Takeru was mad, their 'relationship' was over, and there was no harm in telling Yamato, anyways. He never really cared enough about drama to spread it around. Honestly, he probably wouldn't even think of telling anyone what the girl and his brother were up to.

"So, you two faked the entire thing, and you ended up together in his apartment because…"

"Because things got taken too far.." Sora replied to the boy, who was still a bit confused. She looked down at the ground, and felt a bit guilty. She was trying to get Yamato to believe that was fake, when really, there was something there. Both Takeru and Sora knew it, but it would do no good for the girl to acknowledge it now. "It was just part of our plot that got taken too far. Neither of us were thinking. Don't worry Yamato, I would never hurt your brother, but there was nothing there."

Yamato looked at her. He knew his look was a bit intense, but he had to get her to understand. "Sora," he began, making sure the girl was really listening. "You don't need to do all that to get Taichi's attention."

"What do you mean?" She asked."

Yamato cleared his throat before speaking. "Listen, you cannot tell him you heard this from me. He'd slap me upside the head. But really, he has feelings for you. Sure, he's a little dimwitted about it, but he's a goof at heart. You know that. I know you don't have feelings for Takeru, but if Taichi really believed that you did, he'd get off his ass and get you. I think you're right, he needed a bit of a push, but look how long you two have known each other. He would never let anyone else get the chance to have you."

Sora thought Yamato's words over for a bit before finally bidding him farewell. He went back down the hall of her apartment, and Sora pushed her key into the doorknob. She stepped inside and closed the door, backing up against it. Her hands tried to grip it, but the smooth surface didn't allow her to, and her fingers just uselessly scratched at it. She really had no idea what to think anymore, and she couldn't help but feel like she bit off a bit more than she could chew. But still, she couldn't help but feel upset at Yamato for 'knowing' she had no feelings for his brother.

Meanwhile, across town, Takeru wasn't feeling much better about the situation. He sat on his couch with an omelet in front of him. This time, he had other food to cook, but he felt pretty drained from the day, and decided to make something simple. The boy stared at his plate for a bit- it sat untouched on his coffee table, next to a few of his mother's magazines. The table was still a bit crooked because of the other day, so Takeru put his foot up against it and kicked it a few times to get it back in place.

"Ugh! How could I have been so stupid?" Takeru finally exclaimed, pounding a fist against the cough and standing up. He paced over to his room and collapsed on his bed. His closet, where Sora had hidden just a while ago, was still open, and he knew some of his clothes were still missing from it.

"I should have never kissed her.."

The boy rolled onto his other side and kicked his feet under his covers. He played the past day's events over and over in his mind. "I was so stupid to think she felt that way about me. Of course she still likes Taichi. Of course she would go for him. That's what this plan was for anyways."

The boy shut his eyes for a bit, and thus shut off his mind. He felt himself falling asleep, when suddenly, his ringtone woke him up. The boy's heart jolted a little, as his opened his eyes and reached for the phone that sat on his bedside table. He looked at his caller ID and saw that it was his mother, and his chest sank. The boy ignored the call, but grabbed his cell phone and searched through it. He landed on one name in particular, Sora Takenouchi. He bit his lip and stared at the screen.

X

Even as Sora walked to Taichi's apartment, schoolbooks in hand, she couldn't stop thinking about earlier that day. She felt a bit guilty going to Taichi's, especially because she wasn't able to talk to Takeru first. However, she promised Taichi she would help him out, and she wasn't one to go back on her promises.

After a few more minutes, the girl reached the Yagami residence. Through the window, she could tell the apartment was mostly dark, besides a single light in the kitchen. Slowly, she knocked on the door, still unsure about what was going to happen. She _knew_ Taichi knew _something_ about Takeru. She had gone over possible questions he would ask over and over in her head, but she still didn't know what he would ask, or what she would say. In all honesty, she wasn't quite sure what she was even _thinking_. More importantly, though, Sora couldn't help replaying her conversation with Taichi from earlier over in her head. What had he meant by "Takeru's tricks"?

After she knocked, footsteps were heard in the house. The floor creaked, and Sora could tell whoever was going to answer was getting closer and closer to the door. She held her books tight to her chest, and tapped her fingertips against the hard cover of her math folder. The girl heard a lock being undone, and then quickly, the door opened.

"Hey Sora!" Taichi exclaimed, smiling wide.

"Hey." Sora smiled in return. She had to suppress a laugh she would have normally let out about the boy's appearance. He wore sweatpants, but he wore them low. The girl could see his boxers, and could even make out the designs on them. For a shirt, Taichi wore an unbuttoned red and orange flannel. An inch or two wide slit of chest was visible in the opening of it, and his abs and pecks could be made out perfectly.

Sora blushed a little as the boy moved aside and let her in. "Thanks so much for coming. I really don't know what I would do without you right now."

"Really, it's no problem." Sora said, pushing some of her thick red hair behind her ear. She looked down at what she was wearing, a pair of jeans and a white v-neck, and became conscious of her outfit only because she felt Taichi's eyes on her.

"You look nice." He continued, shutting the door behind them.

Sora turned around and faced him. "You're joking, right? I literally just threw this on."

"Well, you look comfortable." The boy replied. Sora laughed as she moved farther down the hallway.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Taichi asked as the girl sat down on his couch.

Sora put her books on the coffee table and made sure they were perfectly straight. She needed something to do with her hands to keep her focused. "No thanks, I'm alright. I just ate, actually."

"At BanShe?" Taichi asked?

Sora's hands spasmed a bit, and she nearly pushed the top book off of the others. "..What?"

"Oh, nothing." Taichi replied, "I've just heard you've been going there a lot."

"Oh.." Sora stuttered. She now knew it. He knew. "Yeah.."

Sora heard the boy close a kitchen cabinet and sigh. Even so, she didn't stop perfecting her stack of books. Taichi left the kitchen and sat on the couch next to her. He put one arm on the back of the couch, behind her head, and put his face close to hers. "Listen Sora, I have to confess something. I didn't invite you here for homework help."

Sora looked straight ahead of her, afraid to look into the boy's brown eyes. She felt her chest moving up and down like a cinder block, but the boy was so close to her, she could feel his chest moving quickly too. The girl bit both her lips, so they disappeared into her mouth, and when she didn't answer, Taichi continued.

"It's just, well, Sora…" he trailed off as he moved in, closing the gap between his lips and her's. With his free hand, he touched the girl's cheek and lightly turned her head so she was facing him. His face was tan, so tan that it nearly matched the color of his hair. She could smell the slight cologne he had on too, and it filled her nose as he got closer.

"Taichi-" she began, but was cut off when the boy's lips met hers.

*surflilu.


	7. A Forced Smile and a Realization

For a moment, Sora let it all happen. She let the boy put his lips to hers and kiss her, share a breath with her. She had imagined it for so long, and it was everything she thought it would be. His lips were warm and inviting, and his hands natural fit against the small of her back. He pulled her close and she was taken over by the scent of his skin. He smelled as if the wind had constantly blown through his hair, with the addition of a slight amount of cologne.  
After about two seconds, Sora opened her eyes. She was so close to Taichi's face, but she was able to focus clearly on it. His eyes were shut, and he looked happy with a sense of accomplishment on his face. However, Sora's stomach dropped. She went to pull away, and right as she began to, both of the teenagers heard a door open and Taichi pulled away as well.

They jumped as far away as they could from each other on the couch and attempted to look like they were reading homework in the half-second they were given before someone entered the room. Hikari came through the door across the room and looked awkwardly at the two for a moment. Of course, she had seen them separate, and even if she hadn't, the looks on their faces would have given it all away.

To break the awkward silence, Taichi spoke up. "Where are you going?" he asked, noticing the bag in her hand and the nice clothes she had put on.  
Hikari looked from her brother to Sora, who sat awkwardly on the couch next to him, pretending to thumb through some pages from a notebook. She thought for a moment about whether to lie or not, but decided it would do no good.

"I'm going to Takeru's." she said, feeling Sora's eyes suddenly jolt up from her notebook to stare at her. She dared not look back, so she stared at a part of the wall just above Taichi's shoulders.

Sora stopped thumbing through the notebook and all was silent. Hikari rubbed one hand in her other one and tried to quickly figure out whether to say something else or to just leave. Thankfully, her brother saved her.

"Well, have fun.." he said, a bit confused himself. "Don't be back too late." He knew Takeru and Hikari hadn't hung out in weeks, and he wondered what had spurred them to get together suddenly. Whatever the reason, he knew this was his chance, and he couldn't let it go.

Hikari left the room in a hurry and Taichi turned back to Sora, who was now staring blankly at the papers in her hand. She wasn't reading them, merely staring through the words and into the whiteness behind them.

"Are you alright?" Taichi asked, scooting closer to her once again.

Sora's stomach dropped again, and she tried to keep to herself as much as possible. She made sure her knee were touching and her arms rested nicely in her lap, as to not give Taichi any incentive to touch her or kiss her or anything.

"I'm fine." She responded quietly, still lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't concentrate on talking to Taichi, she could only think of Hikari and Takeru together and how uncomfortable it made her. She wondered whether Hikari had called him, or whether he had called her, and she really hoped it wasn't Takeru who instigated their meeting. However, deep down, something told her it was. Once again, Takeru's face when he saw her hugging Taichi in school shot to the front of her mind. He looked so hurt, so disappointed. He looked as if he had lost something he was really looking forward to, as if he was in disbelief of something he knew would probably happen. However, what bothered Sora most was that Takeru was upset over something that shouldn't be happening.

That was it. It hit Sora like a brick to the face. Where she was, what she was doing, none of it should be happening. She was not some prize to be won. She realized now that what had made her uncomfortable before was the look of accomplishment on Taichi's face. He had almost lost her, and he hated losing. Takeru had posed a challenge to him, and he had won. Sora bit her lip and turned to the boy.

"Taichi," she began slowly, realizing she was about to lose what she had been wanting for so long, "I-I need to go."

Sora could almost hear the boy's heart pumping in his chest as he searched for a response. "Are-are you sure?" He answered as if he knew that Sora was making a giant decision. He answered as if he was asking Sora whether she was really picking someone else over him.

Sora was nervous, she knew that, but there was little doubt in her mind. She loved Taichi, but something about what was happening just wasn't right. She didn't know whether it was Takeru, or whether her and Taichi were really only meant to be friends. However, she knew she needed to get out before her and Taichi's relationship was hurt anymore.

"Yeah," she responded, standing up. "I need to."

Taichi didn't answer. He merely stared at her as she stood, trying to read behind her eyes. He wanted to say something to get her to stay, but he knew he no longer had control of the situation. He lost that long ago.

X

Takeru laid in his bed, still scrolling through his phone. He clicked on the recent calls button and looked at Hikari's name. He still wasn't sure whether it was the right decision to call her, but he knew he needed to get back on track. He was so stupid for thinking what he had with Sora was real. She was so much older. She was his brother's age, for goodness sake! How could he have thought he could be with a girl so deserving of someone older, someone better, someone like Taichi? He was silly for kissing her. He was silly for letting her kiss back, when he knew she couldn't have wanted to do that.

The boy closed his phone and tossed it down on his bed. He thought about changing his clothes or showering really quick before Hikari arrived, but he decided he didn't need to or want to. He didn't want to dress up for her. It was lucky that he decided not to busy himself anyways; a few minutes later, his doorbell rang.

Takeru walked towards the door, his heart beating hard in his chest. With each step came a new thought about what could possibly happen once he let her in. However, the boy couldn't think about that now. He just knew he needed to set things straight. The boy grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly, opening the door.

Hikari stood outside, and it was obvious she had tried to look her best. She wore a pair of new jeans, and a light pink shirt that fit nicely against her body. In her hair, she wore a matching pink barrette to keep her bang back off her face. The way her hair fell made her cheek bones look amazing, and the way her hair was pushed back gave Takeru a full view of her neck and shoulders. The boy drew in a deep breath. He knew he had just dug himself in deep.

Takeru invited her in and he got her a drink. He fumbled a bit handing it to her, and the girl laughed. She thought it was cute, but Takeru cursed himself for looking so foolish. He didn't know what he wanted to happen, but for some reason, the thought of Hikari finding something cute about him made him anxious.

"So, what have you been up to recently?" Hikari asked after they were all settled in front of the television. Takeru had turned something on, but it was clear that Hikari didn't want to pay attention to it.

The boy fought hard to make himself not blush. "Nothing, really." He lied through his teeth. "I've just been busy with school stuff."

"Oh." Hikari said, glancing down into her drink. She watched the liquid swirl around as she tilted her glass back and forth. Their conversation grew quiet after that. Takeru was sure Hikari knew he hadn't really just been up to school work, but in the moment, he didn't really care. Everything felt forced to him. All he wanted to do was go to bed or be by himself, and he realized asking Hikari over was something he just wanted to be over with. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around her, he just really didn't want to be around anybody.

After a few minutes of glancing back and forth at Hikari's disappointed face though, Takeru decided this wasn't fair to the girl. He had invited her over and then proceeded to treat her like he didn't want her there. He turned to her and smiled. "So, I have some old movies, and I know how much you like those. Do you want to watch one?"

Hikari lit up. "Sure!"

The boy smiled once again as he walked into his room. The moment he walked in, though, it disappeared off his face. It was going to take a lot of energy to force himself to be happy. But, it would be worth it, he knew. He just had to get used to it. After all, him and Hikari together was what was _supposed_ to happen. It was what _everyone_ wanted to happen.

Takeru grabbed a movie from his shelf and turned to go, but a blinking light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He had a missed call on his cell phone. Wearily, the boy walked over to it and picked it up. On the screen, it read: _One missed call: Sora Takenouchi_.

The boy sighed and clicked 'okay', expecting to be brought back to the home screen. However, instead of that, another alert came up, telling him he had a new text message. Quickly, so he wouldn't keep Hikari waiting, he opened it and read it.

_'Takeru, I need to talk to you. Call me back when you get the chance. -Sora.'_

The boy bit his lip and ran his thumb across the keypad. Even if he wanted to call the girl, he couldn't. Hikari was waiting for him. Besides, whatever Sora was going to say, he knew it would just be something to make him feel better, and he didn't want her to feel pity for him or anything. That would be embarrassing. No, he needed to let her know he was fine with her being with Taichi. He had moved on too. At least, he was trying to.

Movie in hand, the boy left the room. However, as he walked out, he couldn't help but recall the way Sora's lips felt on his.

-surflilu


	8. Stupidity at it's Finest

Hikari was paying no attention to the movie and she knew Takeru wasn't either. Although he stared intently at the screen, his eyes were looking through it and his mind was elsewhere. The girl felt uncomfortable in her own skin and became very aware of where her arms were and how her legs were crossed. Takeru was paying little attention to her, but she felt as if the world was watching her.

When she fidgeted one too many times, Takeru looked over at her. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she responded, "just a little cold I guess."

"Oh," Takeru said, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin. He knew what she was getting at, but for some reason, he didn't just want to comply with her. "Would you like a blanket or something?"

"No," Hikari said, not trying too hard to hide her disappointment. "That's alright."

Takeru bit his lip and turned to look back at the television screen. He had no idea what was going on in the movie. He had spent the majority of it thinking about the past couple weeks and what he wanted to do. Sora had texted him, but how could he text her back after he'd embarrassed himself? Whatever Sora was going to say to him wouldn't make him feel better, he knew it. In fact, the only thing the message was doing was distracting him from Hikari and making her feel awful.  
For a moment, Takeru tried to imagine Hikari in Sora's place. They were both sitting on the couch where the boy and the red-headed girl had originally kissed. Takeru pictured himself laying down once again, and this time with the brunette on top of him, kissing him as hard as Sora had. For some reason though, it felt off. He was sure Hikari wouldn't feel the same as Sora did on him, and he couldn't understand why. All he knew was that he didn't want it to happen.

Once again, he glanced over at the brunette, but he did it quickly so she wouldn't see. The boy admitted, she was beautiful. Although when he looked at her he easily saw the resemblance to Taichi, it never intimidated him or reminded him too much of the boy. She had the same facial structure and features, but her hair and skin were both slightly lighter. Her eyes also had more of a ruby tone to them. They reminded him of Sora's actually, although the older girls were a bit more brightly colored. Hikari was also much smaller than Sora. She wasn't as athletic or tall, but she was small-framed and fragile looking. Her personality made up for it, he knew, but she was just so tiny.

Hikari looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was getting late. She didn't want to leave; she still had hope that something could happen. However, she knew she had to.

Quietly, she looked over at the boy and spoke. "Well, I have to get going. I told Taichi I wouldn't get home too late."

Takeru felt his stomach tug at his chest. He knew as well that if he wanted to do anything he needed to do it quickly. Time was quickly getting away from him, and he was still incredibly divided.

The boy walked his friend to the door and helped her put on her jacket. She smiled lightly at him, but her eyes looked incredibly dull. Takeru knew she was disappointed, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Will you text me when you get home so I know you made it?" He asked.

"Yeah," she responded, "right after I break up Sora and my brother."

The girl wasn't sure why she had even mentioned that, but it was clear that it caused some sudden surge of emotion in Takeru. His eyes lit up as he stared intently at the floor. After a few minutes, Hikari had to drag him back to reality. She felt a bit accomplished of her unknown intelligence. Honestly, she had figured something was up between Sora and her friend- the look on his face now proved it- and she was slightly glad that she could set the boy against it a bit. She was still taken back by her thoughts, though. It wasn't typical of her to feel like this.

"Sorry." Was all Hikari said. It was a half-hearted apology for something the girl half-regretted.

Takeru looked up from the floor and smiled at her, choosing to push all of the raging emotions to the back of his mind. "Hey, it's fine. I had a good time with you tonight."

"Me too," Hikari smiled back at him. Her cheeks blushed a bit as her smile formed small dimples, even though she knew she was lying. She had felt awkward the whole time, but there was still hope for something, _anything_ last minute to happen.

The two stared at each other for a moment more, and when nothing did, the girl sadly turned to go. However, just as she did, Takeru placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and spun her back around. Before Hikari could ask what he was doing, the boy planted a quick kiss on her lips and stepped back just as fast. He flashed a small, nervous smile, and he put one hand behind his head.

"I'll see you at school?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"Yeah." Hikari beamed as she walked out the door.

The blonde watched her leave before he shut the door and proceeded to throw himself into bed. What had he just done? Certainly, he didn't think about it too much before actually doing it. He kissed her. He kissed her when he knew he didn't mean it. Something had caused him to, though, and he knew what it was. The thought scared him. He knew he had done it because Hikari had simply _implied_ Sora and Taichi had been doing things. He was jealous, he was frustrated, and he was just as guilty as the next guy for trying to make himself feel better through the wrong means.

He picked up his phone once again and scrolled through his messages, just to make sure the one from Sora was really there. It was; he knew it was. The boy rubbed his thumb over the screen and stared at the words. Curiosity was getting the better of him, but he couldn't call Sora now. He couldn't do anything. He had just kissed Hikari and he didn't want to hurt her. That was never his intention. He really had just bit off more than he could chew.

Deciding that he'd been through enough for the day, the boy shut off his light and covered himself in his blankets. It took him awhile to get to sleep, but the escape from his thoughts came as a relief. Until he was taken away from consciousness, he couldn't get the thought of Taichi and Sora together out of his head. He thought about them doing things- things that Takeru had just recently done. He imagined Taichi's hands roaming the girls body, his lips on hers, her arms tangled around his back. But mostly, he imagined the girl saying the sweet things to the brunette that she had said to him for the past few weeks. He didn't want to think about Sora treating Taichi as she had treated him. He hated it.

X

Sora was less successful with getting to sleep that night. She checked her phone over and over again just to make sure Takeru hadn't texted her back without her noticing. She was hoping he would; she basically had thrown away any chance she had with Taichi, and she didn't want to lose what she had thrown it away for.

After she had managed to fall asleep, the morning came quickly and abruptly. The sun shone through her window and forced in unwelcome light. However, the girl willed herself to get out of bed and put on her school uniform. It was going to be quite a long day, and she knew the entire time she would simply be hoping to run into Takeru. She wasn't quite sure whether she would have the courage to go up to him and say something, so she hoped he would make the first move, but it was doubtful. She knew if he really wanted to talk to her, he would have answered her already.

Thoughts like those filled her head for the entire walk to school, and she assumed they would for the majority of her day. Once again, it was a day that went by slowly because all she could think about was finding him and hoping he would listen to her.

For as much as the girl searched for Takeru, she couldn't find him, and for as much as she tried to avoid Taichi, she ran into him everywhere. They awkwardly avoided each other, and they both knew they were doing it. Sora couldn't believe how much her mindset had changed over the past month or so. If Taichi had avoided her at any other time, she would have been heart-brokenly anxious. However, now she couldn't worry about it. She realized her and Taichi were great friends, and after the period of awkwardness was over, their friendship could be rekindled. She was sure of it- well, at least she hoped so.

A few periods went by until it happened. Across the hall, Sora spotted the puff of blonde hair that had grown so familiar. The girl got nervous although she had waited for the chance to see him all day. He was standing at his locker, getting some books or something, and it appeared Sora would not have much time to get over there before his next class. Quickly, but quietly, she walked up behind him so he wouldn't have the chance to notice her and walk away.

"Takeru.." she said, causing him to turn around. When he saw her, he looked surprised, but not so surprised as if he had expected _not_ to see her. He quickly glanced her up and down then met her eyes. They looked anxious; the color of them nearly popped out and dragged him in. He didn't know what to say, so he simply looked at her, waiting to go on.

The girl bit her lip and began. "Listen, Takeru, what you saw in the hall-"

And that was all it took. Takeru didn't want her to apologize for his sake. He interrupted her. "Sora, really. It's alright. You got what you wanted, and I'm happy for you."

"No, but Takeru!" She exclaimed, trying to force him to listen as he shut his locker and began to walk away. He really didn't want to hear what he thought she was going to say. He just wanted to get over it.

"Sora, really, it's fine. I've-I've got to go. Please don't apologize"

The girl froze in her tracks and stopped talking. She watched him walk away for a bit. He moved with such a fake sense of confidence that it almost hurt Sora to watch. She decided at once that she had lost. It seemed as if there was nothing that could change his mind. Her heart sank in her chest as she grew to accept the fact that she was going to let him get away. So many memories came flooding back to her mind: the daily trips to BanShe, the kindness he had treated her with, how he said she deserved the best and deserved to be loved and deserved to be happy. She remembered how he had kissed her and how much emotion it had filled her with. She remembered Yamato's face when he had found her in the closet, and more importantly, Takeru's face when he found his brother looking at the half-naked girl. Takeru's faces- she would miss those.

Suddenly though, it hit her. "Apologize?" Did he think she was going to apologize for picking Taichi? After all, he'd seen her in the hallway hugging the brown-haired boy and smiling like a fool in his presence. Takeru probably thought they had gotten together and Sora had really only used him the entire time. "No."

The girl walked as quickly as she could to catch up with the boy. She bumped into countless amounts of scowling teens, but she didn't care. She knew if she called Takeru's name he would only walk faster, so she didn't. She merely motivated herself by thinking about how she was not going to let him get away. When she was close enough, she reached out and touched his shoulder, spinning him around. They were close enough to the side of the hallway So Sora was able to pull him over to be clear of the moving masses of people.

"Sora, what are you doing?" He asked, trying to pretend to be mad, but Sora could see right through it.

"Listen to me." Sora said clearly, trying to be as loud as she could so the boy could hear her over the bustle of the halls, but still quiet enough so no one else would hear. "I'm not apologizing. I'm not with Taichi. I went to his house to tutor him; he asked. He tried to kiss me, and I'm not going to lie, it happened for a few moments, but Takeru, it didn't feel right. It wasn't right. I could only think about your face when you saw me and Taichi hugging in the halls. It didn't mean what you thought it meant. Taichi and I don't have what I thought we did. It didn't... It didn't feel like it should happen. I couldn't stop thinking about you... I couldn't.. I couldn't.."

Takeru looked at her for a moment, his mouth gaping. She looked so worried, so nervous. She looked as if she was trying to hold onto something she needed. A million thoughts rushed through the boys mind. Sora wasn't with Taichi? The hug didn't mean anything? Sora really wasn't as happy with him as she had looked? Taichi kissed her? But Sora didn't want it..? But Taichi kissed her?

"Sora.. I...I" He began, but he was stopped. Sora put a finger up against the boys lips.

"Please don't explain anything right now. Just please tell me. Do you believe me?"

Takeru looked intently into her eyes. They looked as if they were on the verge of tears. He felt needed and wanted and loved and full of emotion. He nodded his head in response, and Sora dropped her hand, letting out a heavy sigh.

Taking the chance, he spoke. "Sora, no one has ever made me feel the way you do."

The girl blushed. "Takeru..."

"Come here." He said, grabbing the girls wrist and pulling her along. "It's too loud."

The girl followed along behind him, slightly shocked by the speed at which he was moving. "Where are we going?" She asked loudly so the boy could here her.

However, her question was answered before he could say anything. At the end of a near-empty hall was a stairwell that was rarely used. Takeru pushed open the door and pulled the girl inside. The door shut and Takeru spun Sora around and pushed her up against it. She gasped as the boy got close to her face. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. He kissed her again and again, leaving peck after peck on her trembling lips.

"Sora.. Sora.. I'm sorry.. I'm so stupid..." He said, each gap in his words being interrupted with a kiss.

The girl kissed him back, savoring each and every one, completely taken by his sudden move. "Takeru.."

But then, the boy stopped. He still held her face and he looked her straight in the eyes, but he spoke more slowly and more composed. "Listen. I need to do something. I need this, I need you, but I need to make things right. I may need some time before I can see you, but please promise you'll wait."

The girl, completely understanding, shook her head up and down. "Of course Takeru."

The boy pulled back and smiled at her, finally dropping his hands from her cheeks. The boy blinked a few times and straightened himself out before walking out the door, leaving Sora to contemplate everything that had just happened and to beam in the relief that came with it.

-surflilu

**A quick note, first off, I want to thank all the fabulous reviewers who've been reviewing so far, and I'd like to thank everyone who's read this. I didn't realize how much I was going to love writing this story or how much I was going to grow to like this pairing. I know a lot of you are conflicted. I'm a die-hard Taiora fan and I've kind of shocked myself. Thank you all for being so open-minded and for enjoying the story! You all are wonderful. **


	9. The Hardest Part

Takeru walked through the halls, leaving Sora behind in the stairwell. He could feel how hot his face was, it must have been bright red. He felt giddy and happy as he walked along, like the world was revolving around him. Of course though, everyone around him payed him no attention. It was a normal day for the rest of the students. Well, almost all of them.

For the entire day, Hikari hadn't felt right. Takeru had kissed her last night, he'd really done it. When it happened, she was ecstatic. However, the more she thought about it, the more she worried about it. In the moment, everything had seemed perfect. The adrenaline that rushed through her body pushed away any thought that something might have been wrong. However, now that it had subsided, it was clear to her that something was missing. Something was empty.

Hikari sat down at a lunch table with a tray full of food. Her friends weren't anywhere around, but she could eat quickly by herself. Besides, the bell would ring soon and she'd have to hustle to her next class. She wouldn't have time to look for anyone. Hikari twirled a single thin noodle around her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. She really wasn't all that hungry.

Hikari wondered why she hadn't seen Takeru all day. Well, she saw him here and there, but it looked like he was trying to keep to himself. He would always quickly dash to his locker then quickly dash away, like he was avoiding someone. She hoped he wasn't avoiding her. Had she been to forward last night? Oh, the previous night had been so strange. Why hadn't she noticed it in the moment?

The girl took a small sip of her drink and let it linger in her mouth for a moment before she swallowed it. Why hadn't she noticed? Something was off. But... he had kissed her. And if anything _was_ going on with Sora it was clearly over now, right? She had been hanging out with Hikari's older brother.

The girl stared down at her lunch table, thoughts racing through her head. She wished she could just figure it all out. All that she'd wanted was for Takeru to kiss her, but now that it had happened, she felt so strange, so empty. Why?

Suddenly, the bell indicating the next classes were to begin rang throughout the cafeteria. Hikari was dragged from her thoughts as her body automatically moved to go put her tray away. She didn't notice, but from across the room, Takeru was staring at her. He had finally mustered up the courage to come in and talk to her, but just as he had, he was interrupted. He supposed it would have to wait.

Quickly, before Hikari could spot him, he dashed back outside of the cafeteria and around a corner. He leaned up against a wall and looked up at the ceiling, trying to ignore all the kids who were pushing past him. Sure, he had worked up all that courage, but once the slightest thing had gone wrong he couldn't go through with his plan. Maybe it was the fact that now he'd have to talk to her over all the bustling kids, or maybe it was the fact that he didn't want to hurt her, or maybe it was the fact that she looked so confused, sitting there lost in thought. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

He knew it needed to be done, but really, he needed to get up the guts to do it. When he kissed her, he knew it hadn't felt right. Part of him knew the only reason he'd done it was because he was mad. He was angry. The thought of Sora and Taichi doing things together enraged him, and he needed to do something about it. It wasn't right and the boy knew that, however what he did couldn't be taken back. He'd never meant for any of this to happen...

* * *

For a few minutes, Sora stood in the stairwell and attempted to catch her breath. Her skin was hot and she could only imagine how frizzy her hair must have looked. She ran what had just happened over and over in her head. It... it was perfect. She caught herself smiling and quickly wiped it from her face as she emerged through the doors into the crowded hallway. The bell had just gone off and she needed to get to class. She needed to be there. Well, her body did anyways. As she walked along her mind was far from the present reality, and it remained that way until she bumped into Taichi.

"Hey, uh, Sora, I, uh..."

* * *

A few minutes into class, Hikari felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Who would be texting her at a time like this? She pulled it out and saw Takeru's name. Her chest jolted a little and she wondered what his message could possibly be about. After all, Takeru was never one to text during class so it must have been something important. She wasn't one to break class rules either, but curiosity got the best of her.

_Hikari, can I meet up with you after school? I really need to talk to you. -Takeru_

It was then that Hikari realized the jolt in her chest had been a bad one. Admittedly, all day she'd seen this coming. However, when her fear became true it hit her like a brick. The rest of class went by extremely slow. The only things that ran though her mind were ideas of what Takeru was possibly going to say to her. Oh, why did the end of the day have to be so far away?

The girl went through the rest of her day a bit mindlessly. She stared through her teachers as they lectured and let her body automatically take the route to class. It was nice that she didn't have to stop to think about it.

* * *

After Takeru had received the 'okay' to meet up with Hikari after school, he knew he couldn't let himself run away again. He just had to get it over with. The longer he waited, the worse the situation would become. He really didn't want to hurt her, he knew that. His feelings for her before were real, but while he was waiting for her to come around, someone else had swept him off his feet and made him feel like he mattered. He'd changed.

But, as he saw the girl sitting by herself in the school yard, he had second thoughts.

'_No Takeru, you need to do this..'_ He thought to himself as he willed his legs to move him forward. He hated being the bad guy- it didn't suit him well. He just, he needed to do this. He couldn't live with himself knowing he was lying to her. Oh, he still loved her dearly. She was one of the most important people in the world to him- that would never go away. Just, he had decided not to wait, and an opportunity came up. He took it. He didn't let it pass by while he passively waited for a girl to come around. He had taken Sora's advice and it made him so happy, like he was in control for once.

"Hey.. Hikari.." Takeru said, waving lightly as he sat down on the grass next to her.

The girl looked up with eyes that were glazed over in thought. She looked anxious, like she just wanted everything to be out and done with. "Hey.."

"So I.. uh.. I.."

"Just say it, Takeru."

The bluntness of Hikari's voice shocked the boy. Did she already know what he was going to say?

"I need to hear it so I can start to get over this." The girl went on, refusing to look the blonde in the eyes. "So just.. just please tell me."

Takeru froze. His chest sunk. Had he done all of this? He knew tears were beginning to form in his friends eyes, so he refused to look at her as well. How could he go on doing this? For once, he was happy, but one of the people he cared about most looked destroyed. Was he not allowed to be happy?

"Hikari... I... I.."

* * *

Sora was laying down on her bed later that night flipping through one of her textbooks when suddenly, her phone went off. It was a text from Takeru, which she had been expecting, so she sat up to read it.

_"Sora, I really, really need to talk to you. Can you come over?"_

The girl furrowed her brow as she went over the message. Had something happened? Her chest froze a little as she responded, telling him she would come. She had a bad feeling about this, but she really needed to tell him what had happened with her and Taichi earlier as well..

* * *

-surflilu.

**Sorry this chapter is so late and so short. I had the entire new chapter written weeks ago on my old computer, but then it crashed. It took me awhile to get the patience to rewrite everything, and I still don't think it's exactly how it was before, but here it is. The next chapter will be a lot longer, and it'll be out a lot sooner, I promise! Thanks to everyone who reviewed xx.**


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